No GMO, Please

A return to the vibrancy of organic food and wine

There is nothing quite as rewarding as a hearty, well-balanced, and flavorful meal after a long day at work, especially when it’s finished with a glass or two of a full-bodied red or a lively white wine. It’s even more fulfilling to indulge in food that is prepared with simplicity and respect to the local ingredients. Likewise, there’s a distinct sense of satisfaction to be had after drinking wine made with grapes that are carefully grown, harvested and processed using time-tested and proven techniques that have endured for generations. In this age of instant gratification, gigantic food manufacturing corporations have tried to keep up with the shortening attention spans of their customers through the practice of cultivating genetically modified organisms (GMO). Grains, fruits and vegetables are usually altered to possess dramatically increased pest resistance and accelerated growth, all for the sake of making a quick buck.

Thankfully, one of the biggest names in global retail has stepped up and publicly laid out an extensive manifesto of their food policies for the world to see. British multinational retail juggernaut Marks and Spencer has explicitly made it known that they have removed GM ingredients and derivatives across all their food ranges. M&S has also released the first-ever carbon neutral Beaujolais Nouveau; carbon neutrality involves minimizing greenhouse emissions throughout the product’s manufacturing processes, in addition to the packaging and transportation.

Speaking of wines, the actual winemaking process has gradually started to shift to more organic and vegan-friendly practices. Indeed, wines labeled “Organic” – such as the Okhre Natur Brut Cava – must contain at least 95% organic ingredients from USDA-certified operations with absolutely no added sulfites (also known as sulfur dioxide, a preservative that is widely used in food manufacturing) in the entire winemaking process. Meanwhile, “Vegan-Friendly” wines completely eliminate the use of egg whites, milk proteins and gelatin (typically utilized in the filtration process to remove impurities and yeast, in addition to adjusting tannin levels) in the process of making the wine.

Clearly, organic and vegan-friendly winemaking methods have no adverse effect when it comes to producing an exceptionally refined bottle of wine.